Fly Free
by InsaniumArtisan
Summary: Actor!AU: Being an actor was hard sometimes. You had to smile for the fans, pose for pictures, and sign things you sometimes didn't want to sign. But there were few moments, Deidara could admit, when the pros outweighed the cons. And getting to spend time with Sakura was definitely one of the major pros.


**Author's Note:** A bit to say about this.

**1)** This is an Actor-centric Alternate Universe, in which the characters of Naruto are portrayed as actors on a show. They keep their names, but the personalities may seem a bit tweaked, as most actors are NOT actually their characters.

**2)** This is DeiSaku, a pairing I enjoy a bit, and a little Kisame/OC.

**3)** I'm actually thinking of expanding this universe past this one-shot, because not only is this fun to write, but I'd like to expand on Etsuko a bit more. (I have a life for her not only in this universe, but as an actual Naruto OC (with a backstory and everything _*gasp*_), so I could either go with this, or another idea I have to explain her life and such. But that depends if anyone's interested in the idea of this continuing, and whether or not anyone cares about Etsuko as a character at all. If not, then the ideas will be scrapped, and I'll keep this as a singular entity.)

That being said, I hope everyone enjoys this. It was really fun to write, as a nice break from my multi-chapter Disney story, "Source Material". If you like it, feel free to review. Even if you don't, I'd still like to hear what you think. Everyone's opinions matter.

Thanks for taking the time to read/skim this,

- InsaniumArtisan

* * *

"Deidara-_senpai_!"

He froze, water bottle raised mid-swig. The high-pitched voice was an alarm, digging into his ears much like the sound of nails on a chalkboard. The blonde actor only had a moment to brace himself before the sudden pressure of another body slammed into his, holds unbarred. His shoes squeaked against the linoleum floor, sending the two into an ungraceful slide down the corridor.

"Uh, hey. Hi there. How can I help you?" He struggled to peel the young girl's arms from around his abdomen, one arm making sure to keep his drink out of her reach.

Like so many faces he'd seen before, her expression fell into one of shock and despair. "You didn't say, '_un'_!"

Deidara sighed. Being an actor, one of the many perks that came with his job was that there were some fans that couldn't, or didn't want to, tell the difference between the show, and reality. He played a character of the same name, he and all of his coworkers, but that didn't mean they were actually like the parts they played. He didn't know about some of the others, but he certainly wasn't a bomb enthusiast, nor did he have mouths on his hands.

"How can I help you, _un_?"

The girl's face lit up, and her arms managed to snake their way back around his waist again. As a few of the studios staff passed through the hall, he shot desperate looks to each set of eyes he could catch. A lot of them kept their heads down, not wanting to get involved, while a few straight up ignored him.

"Can you sign these?" It was a task to keep up with everything she was throwing at him; pictures, mostly of very poorly drawn _'yaoi'_ art (what fascination with it these young girls had he'd never understand), CD cases, a few wrinkled T-shirts, and a hat.

Of course, this was a tame set of objects for him to scribble his initials on. Some of the other fans asked for more…personal signatures, which of course he would gently reject.

"Uh, sure. Just let me get my pen-," the corners of her mouth dipped down. "…_un_."

He had to keep up the act. Every day, every moment, every fan. If word got out that he was getting bad reviews from fans, his manager would damn near kill him.

She at least didn't look too upset that he was out of costume, makeup removed, and hair let down. But they always wanted that one little fragment of a fantasy, his so-called '_speech impediment_'. And he had no other choice but to grant it to them.

Fishing the ballpoint writing utensil from his pocket was quickly becoming a chore as he tried to balance the stack in one hand, and keep his palm wrapped around his water bottle in the other. Eyes growing hungry, the girl held out her hands, trying to keep her expression good natured.

"Want me to hold that for you?"

He remembered the first time he'd fallen for that, lending a young girl his cell-phone when she'd asked him to sign a box of Naruto-themed memorabilia.

He'd never gotten it back. That easy, that simple, and that quick.

Now he made sure to hang onto his things, no matter how trivial. He didn't even want to think about where it could have potentially ended up, nor did he think he'd ever want to know.

"No, thanks." Deidara waved gently, pinching the pen between his free fingers, to bring it to his mouth to be held for safekeeping. Gingerly, he elbowed the satchel slung across his shoulder wide enough to wriggle the bottle into, and relaxed as it slipped securely into the leather bag with a soft thunk.

"Alright, is there any specific order you want me to sign these in, or anyone specific you'd like them signed to?" Like a faucet turned on high, the girl began to rattle off her requests, not pausing to wait for the flustered actor to keep up with her.

Several times his fingers slipped while writing, leaving what was meant to be a short looping D to morph into something that looked more like a deformed peanut-shape. She didn't seem to notice, however, and kept her eyes glued on his face. He felt mildly awkward while she stared, though it didn't seem horrendously bad-natured.

Just a little…lusty.

He managed to get a good number of things signed before she asked the one question that always drew him through the same loop.

"So…um…how is, uh, how are you and Sasori-senpai?"

Deidara knew exactly what she was asking, but it always managed to catch him off guard. "Excuse me?"

Her smile was hopeful. "On-screen your characters get a lot of time together…and I was just wondering about your…relationship. Are you…close?"

Again. Here it was again. Not all fans asked this, and some of them were genuinely curious about their friendship, or possible relation, but more than most it was this. The pen in his hand paused mid-scribble, leaving a half-finished loop in his namesake.

"We're friends. Good friends, buddies."

He could see her interest was peaked, and had to swallow the urge to groan in frustration as her inquiries quickly became bolder.

"How good of friends?"

"I'm not gay, if that's what you're asking." Of course it was. Hell, he hardly knew of any of the cast members who were, other than the younger of the Uchiha brothers. On screen he was quite asexual, but off-screen, he was rather open with his orientation. No one had a problem with it, but it felt like the actors and actresses who had never even given such a thought a second glance were picked out to be labeled as such, Deidara being a target himself.

The fan's eyes clouded over with disappointment, and her mouth formed a little '_O_' of surprise. "Are you sure?"

That was a ridiculous question, of course he was. "Yes, very."

"Ah…" A small awkward silence passed over them then, leaving the only noise being passing footsteps, and the sound of the pen against multiple surfaces.

Shifting slightly, the actor held out the marked objects with relief. "And that should be everything…uh, un. Thanks for coming to visit the studio by the way…I never did get your name."

"Uh…Mary-Anne!" The girl squeaked lightly, clutching the stack to her chest possessively. "It was no problem, I'm glad I got to meet you…ya know, cause you're so sugoi desu, ne?"

He winced at the broken Japanese, but kept the grin plastered to his face. "Yeah…sure. Uh, anyway, you came here with the tourist group, right? I heard the announcements that the tour ended around 2:30, and…" he glanced momentarily at his watch, "it's 2:25."

"Oh! Yeah." She looked a bit dejected, but perked back up as he handed her a card. The Akatsuki symbol was plastered across the tiny surface, a single red cloud with a black background.

"It's a collector's item. You can use the code online for some pretty cool stuff." He explained, showing her the set of numbers on the back. She nodded at his words, eyes trained on his hand as he passed the card to her fingertips. Feeling awkward again, he pulled his arm back. "Yeah…so, it was nice to meet you."

"Uh…nice to meet you, Deidara-senpai!"

He watched the retreating figure, finally letting out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. At least she was a tame enough kid. There were some he remembered…who didn't take hints well. At least he felt like he handled that decently, if not a bit uneasily.

"Extremely smooth, _Deidara-senpai_."

The blonde grinned at his coworker, startled a bit by the sudden appearance. He hadn't even heard him coming around the corner. "Shut your trap, Hoshigaki. Like you could've handled that any better."

"I can handle the fans just fine, and I'm no stranger to the ladies."

"Oh, yeah?" With a cocky smirk, the actor struck at the exact nerve he knew would press the "shark-ninja's" buttons. "Then tell me, when are you finally gonna work up the nerve to ask out that cute little delivery girl that's got you so smitten?"

"What?" With the absence of his grey-blue tinted makeup, Kisame had no way to disguise the blush quickly spreading across his face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Really now?" He couldn't help himself, the urge was too strong. "Cause she's coming this way."

"What? Where?" The burly man whirled around, acting so close to a nervous schoolgirl that Deidara nearly wet himself with laughter. "I don't see—"

Realization crossed his face, and in a split second he was hounding his coworker in humiliation. "You ass! I can't believe you would pull something like that! I have a right mind to shove my fake sword so far up your—"

Through his angry rasps, the blonde let his head tilt to one side, smirking widely. "Oh, hey, Etsuko."

"Don't expect me to fall for that again!" Kisame growled, giving Deidara a violent shake.

"Uh…_hi_. Is this a bad time…?" The hands gripping his shirt froze, and the actor felt a small satisfaction watching his coworker go ramrod still.

Behind them, the small brunette girl shuffled awkwardly, shifting the pizza box in her arms back and forth. Her uniform was stained with sauces, hanging off her petite frame a few sizes too large. Two brown eyes stared at the duo, doe-like in size and comparison, and filled with nervousness.

Deidara could see what was attractive about her, she _was_ pretty cute.

Seconds ticked by, and Kisame still hadn't moved. Gently, his entrapped victim tugged on the frozen male's arm, his face nearly splitting from the smile he had pasted across his cheeks. "Hey, bud, your bae asked you a question. Should I tell her to come back after you beat me senseless, or…?"

"_Shutup."_ His assailant hissed, releasing the smaller man to quickly turn his attention to the confused young woman standing behind them. "Hey, Etsuko! Nice to see ya…uh, no, no need to wait. We were just having a _little chat_—weren't we, _Deidara_?"

A sharp pain echoed across his ribcage as Kisame's elbow dug into his side. Laughing awkwardly, the blonde grabbed his chest and let out a cough of pain. "Y-_oh, man_…yeah. Just a little _talk_."

"Okay, then." She didn't seem to notice the silent exchange of threats that hung in the air between the two, and instead worked on keeping the box steady on one hand while she pulled out an order book with the other.

"Hey, here…let me get that." A small smile passed over her face, as the taller man took the box from her hands, and the observing actor stifled a snicker at the pleased expression that crossed his face in response.

"Thanks…I've almost got the little…thing." Her hands flew across her pockets, from her black shorts to the red uniform blouse, searching every possible place she could to find the tiny notepad. It was like watching a romantic comedy of sorts, as he watched Kisame's eyes trail after her moving hands, lingering each place they paused to search at.

"There it is!" She yelped out, extracting the booklet from the pocket on her chest. "Okay, I just need a signature…"

"I've got that." Deidara grinned, wiggling the pen in his grasp. She beamed brightly, much to the chagrin of his companion, and handed over the slips to be signed with ease. "So…who exactly ordered this?"

"Actually, it was Mr. Hoshigaki." Etsuko gestured to the grimacing actor, who immediately flushed when she turned her smile to him. "He told me that you guys just finished up with a shoot, and needed something for lunch, so he ordered a pizza."

"Great choice." He handed her back the pad, signature intact. "What kind of pizza?"

"Anchovy." She answered, tucking the item back into her shirt with a noticeable shudder. Deidara wondered what her deal was with the topping, or if she just didn't like it.

"Superb." He flicked his eyes to take in his coworker's expression, and held back a snicker at the murderous glare he received in return. "You willing to _share?_"

"_Hell no."_

"I'm just kidding." He flipped his bangs smoothly, skirting to the side to give a wider berth between himself and his enraged friend. "I've already got lunch plans, and a girl to share them with."

"Oh!" Etsuko squealed, becoming interested. "Care to share the identity of the lucky lady?"

"Sorry, but no can do." Teasingly he stuck out his tongue, earning a giggle in return. "It's on a need-to-know basis."

"That's no fun!" Shaking her head, the young woman adjusted the cap on her head. A split second of silence fell over them, before he watched her take a step back, her hand rising up to give a farewell wave. "I guess I should get going, my shift ends in a little bit, and I'm not about to let myself get caught up in traffic."

"Oh, uh, hey!" Kisame stuttered out, taking a step forward to block her path. Man, he really wasn't very subtle, was he? Deidara really needed to start having '_talks'_ with his inept coworker about his "lady skills".

"After you get off, you should stop by. I heard a couple of guys talking about that little screenplay you brought in a few weeks ago—if you're lucky, you might get a chance to talk to one of the directors about it. I mean, that's only if you want…._d'ya wanna?_"

It was so painful to watch. Cautiously, Etsuko gave a tiny grin. "Sure, I'll stop by in a while then."

Politely, she exchanged waves with each person she passed, her soft greetings and goodbyes fading as her figure retreated down the hallway. Slowly, the blonde sidled up to his obviously stricken companion, and finally allowed himself the laughter he'd been holding back.

"No stranger to the ladies, huh?"

"_Shutup!"_

* * *

"Hey, how are you?"

"Deidara—great work today! Keep up the talent, my man!"

"You did really good! Can't wait for tomorrow!"

"Thanks, guys. I'll see you later on set." Wagging his palm at each passerby, Deidara found himself thinking of how lucky he was to have such a great set of coworkers. Even the people he didn't get along with on-screen turned out to be complete softies once they hit backstage.

The lines of doors down the hallway were each labeled with name plaques, one after the other, of each actor's dressing room. Naruto, Kakashi, Iruka…the names went on and on. As he passed by, he tossed his empty bottle in the nearest trashcan. Deidara and his fellow Akatsuki members' rooms were farther down, but that's not near where he was headed. In fact, the object of his travel was standing exactly where he expected her to be, fidgeting to stuff her bright pink hair under the too-small cap on her head.

Gently, he reached out and brushed the strands behind her ear, giving out a gentle "Hey" in response to her sudden stiffening.

"Oh, Deidara, I didn't even see you heading this way…Hi!" Sakura grinned, leaning into the touch automatically as he helped her push the locks under the hat. "I was just getting ready…sorry about this!"

"No problem. I wish you didn't have to wear the hat, though. Your hair looks nice as it is."

"Suck-up." She grinned. "I wish I didn't have to either, but you know how it is. The paparazzi and everywhere, and if they recognized either of us…it'd be a madhouse!"

Oh, yeah, that reminded him that he had to fix his own hair. "Would you mind…?" He trailed off, holding out a few hair pins after successfully fixing the rest of her hair. With it tucked back, and pulled into a ponytail, she looked rather boyish.

"Your hair is so pretty." He heard her mumble. The sensation of her fingers running through his blonde mane was relaxing, and he couldn't help but let out a soft hum of approval. "I wish my hair was as soft as this…"

"There's nothing wrong with your hair. It's perfect already." He felt her hands still for a moment, and panic managed to flutter across his nerves. Had he said something wrong?

Instead, she let go of his hair, pulling his bangs from his face to pin them back. "Thanks, Dei. That's really nice of you to say."

"No problem." He smirked. "I could compliment you all day."

"You're starting to sound like Naruto." Sakura muttered, swatting at his arm with a laugh.

"Uzumaki's got nothing on me." The blonde boasted, puffing out his chest. "After all, he's not the one you're going to eat lunch with, is he?"

"Well, no." She admitted. "But you still sound like him when you make comments like that, you know."

"You don't like being complimented?" Playfully, he tilted her head up, fidgeting with the brim of her hat. A few strands of pink brushed her forehead, and he moved to tuck them back again, taking note of the way her face turned a slight pink under his touch. "Or do you just not like me?"

"I like you!" She yelped, only to cover her mouth as she realized how it sounded. "I mean, not like that—but—you know what I meant!"

"Yeah, yeah." Deidara grinned, knocking her cap down over her eyes. "I know what you meant, pinky."

He admitted the slight rejection left a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he could ignore it. After all, they'd been friends for how long now? It was a couple of years, and there was no surprise that she could have possibly thought of him as a brother, more than a potential love interest. It bothered him, but not enough to risk losing their friendship over.

"Should we head out? If we hurry, we could get window seats at that little sushi place you like so much."

"Don't tell me you actually reserved us places at Yamazaki?" Her jade eyes lit up at the prospect of the place she was enamored with. He watched the expression of unbridled happiness sink across her features as she nodded, feeling proud of himself. "Deidara, you're amazing!"

"I know." He gave a cocky, tilted smile. "Now come on, before we get our place taken."

"Aw, man, this place is great!" Sakura stuffed another piece of sushi into her mouth, chewing with an exaggerated sound of approval. "I swear; I'm like Naruto to _'Ramen Ichiraku'_ to this place!"

"Should I be worried about losing my best friend to a restaurant?" Surprisingly enough, he was only half kidding.

The disguised "kunoichi" smiled, shaking her head. "I dunno, this is some _really good_ sushi."

The blonde actor scowled, twisting a lock around his finger. His own plate was hardly touched, a whole smoked salmon with a few vegetables off to the side. It wasn't that he wasn't hungry, it's just that…well, he _was_ actually feeling a bit jealous.

Seriously, him. Cool, calm, fun-loving Deidara, was jealous of a god forsaken restaurant. Or, more or less, of Sakura's affections towards it. If he could cook, which he couldn't, then maybe he could get her attention more.

"Dei, aren't you going to eat your food?" His friend paused eating her own meal, to point at his untouched plate with a concerned expression. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah. Everything's fine." He flashed a fake grin, lifting a bite of the cooked fish to his mouth. It was pretty good, a little salty, but he could see what she liked in the place. Then again, she was eating the uncooked version of his meal, so maybe not.

"It's nice to get out like this." His riled thoughts were broken by the sound of her voice, soft and soothing. He looked up to see her glancing around; taking in the environment with a look he couldn't quite place.

"Yeah," he responded, "it's nice here."

"I mean getting out at all, Dei." The corners of her lips tilted down, and he watched her brows furrow.

"Yeah…?"

"Think about our jobs." She mumbled, stirring her plate absentmindedly. "We go to work every day, play a role every day, act out a character every day. And what do we get when we leave work? We've still got to smile for the press when the cameras come out, and hide in the shadows when we're not ordered to play model. We have to go out, like this, dolled up and undercover, just to get lunch. That doesn't feel fair. It feels…," she trailed off, catching his eyes for a brief moment, "Nah, nevermind."

"Hm." He'd never seen her look this stressed. Being a main character, he'd expected her to have more control over her position; she'd been doing this much longer than he had. But even the best had their days, and today was one of hers. It pained him a bit, seeing her upset like this. "Get up."

"What?" She looked up suddenly, her free hand toying at the tiny patch of hair that hung visible next to her ear.

"Come on, we're going out."

"We're already out."

"I mean out-out." He held out his hand, tossing a handful of yen onto the table as payment for their meal. "We're going to have fun."

"But, Deidara, the shoot starts in a little while, we can't just—"

"We'll skip out." He explained with a shrug, "and if they ask why, we'll just blame it on traffic. Come on Sakura, you said it yourself. This job is like being trapped in a cage. Why don't you try breaking out of it for once?"

Her eyes flicked back and forth, from his hand, to the people around. For a moment he was worried that she would reject his offer, storm out, and never speak to him again.

He couldn't explain he relief that he felt when she reached up, pulling off the cap that covered her pink hair. The short locks fell across her face in waves, accentuating her eyes sharply. Even though the two colors clashed, she knew how to make it work.

She always did.

"Alright," she agreed, reaching out to place her hand inside his, "Let's break out of this cage."


End file.
